Hi all. I’ve been reading here and other places for a few months.
2 months ago neighbor w/bedbugs said he’s moving and bombing bedbugs out of his things before he goes. I don’t know if he did that, but 3 weeks after he left I found I had been bitten 3 times with big welts on my arm while sleeping. I was extremely upset as I am very clean.
Got bitten again 6 times on lower leg 2 weeks later after putting diatomaceous earth under baseboards and along wall which meets his now empty apartment.
Landlord did a heat treatment (he owns his own machine) of my unit at 130-140 degrees for many hours while I slept at a friend’s house.
Immediately after heat treatment I encased my Mattress and box spring in Hospitality brand covers with no tears and put back in apt. Bed is moved away from wall and brand new side table. Big square commercial Passive monitors were put under all 4 feet of bed by landlord.
I haven’t seen anything live or dead and entire bed plus metal frame on wheels looked clean upon my visual inspection before treatment for whatever that’s worth.

Two days ago the neighbors directly below me (brick building w/carpet built in 70s) said they’ve had bedbugs for a week or so prior to my heat treatment. At first I felt guilty thinking my heat treatment caused them to get bedbugs (they have little kids). But apparently their next door neighbor also had moved out and her apartment was loaded with them. It seems they’re going from side to side in this building. Selfishly perhaps, I’m concerned that if they get a heat treatment too, their bedbugs will scatter upstairs to my place.

I feel surrounded. I’ve been offered a different apt in a different bldg here, but the landlord disclosed to me that the neighbor below that apartment also has bedbugs. So I’m facing the same issue of being concerned that heat treatment of that unit will send them upstairs.

No chemicals or anything else is being used, except the passive monitors.

I don’t have the money to move to another complex. Am I correct in feeling that heat treatment alone isn’t sufficient, and sends bugs scurrying to other units? By the way, they had heat treated my next door neighbor’s apt after he left. I wonder if that’s why the bugs came over to my place in the first place.

I want to move while my belongings feel clean but can’t afford to go to an entirely new complex. Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

I forgot to add: landlord says bugs have only travelled side to side in his buildings. It’s possible I could go to new unit and be ok there if they heat treat it after the downstairs one. I think he said he would heat treat it.

I would expect heat treatment alone to cause the bugs to scatter.
The landlord should hire a pro to use chemicals.

I am NOT an expert.
My opinions are just opinions, they may NOT apply to yours or any situation.
My advice is to always do a LOT of research.
A lot of what I read contradicts other stuff on the Interweb.

I have been dealing with bed bugs in my apartment building for a number of years. Bedbugs do not just travel side to side but are perfectly capable of going up or down or taking any number of different routes in a building, in my personal experience and opinion. And not everyone will know or report they have bedbugs (some people do not react to bites or others have issues and don't deal with bedbugs - I am unfortunately neighbors with the latter!) Your landlord really should not be heat treating apartments one by one. He should consult with and use an integrated pest management professional. It is my understanding that a best practice for an apartment complex is to inspect apartments next to and above and below the unit reporting bedbugs, and treat as needed. When you just try to eliminate from one apartment without taking a coordinated approach with adjacent apartments you are just scattering them.